Rail-chair.



A. G. LIEBMANN.

RAIL CHAIR.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 13, 1914.

1,126,533. Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

W n/lineman ZZ HE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOTOLITHOY. WASHINGTON L1. C,

NllTlhlD ATES PATENT @PFTGE.

AUGUST G. LIEIBIVIANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINGIS, ASSIGNOR T0 VIGNOLES RAIL CHAIR COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. 55., A CORPORATION OF DELAXNARE.

RAIL-CHAIR.

Application filed May 13, 1914.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, AUGUST G. LIEBMANN,

citizen of the United States residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Rail-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail chairs and particularly to rail chairs adapted to provide a lateral and vertical adjustment of the rail.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a rail chair of a very simple construction having very few parts and these easily and cheaply made, the chair being so formed as to provide for a maximum of lateral rail adjustment and also for a certain amount of vertical adjustment or shimming.

A further object of the invention is to provide a base plate having a relatively large area of contact with a tie, so that the load on the rail may be widely distributed to the end that the chair may be used with ties which would ordinarily have to be renewed because of the number of spike holes therein, in other words, to use a railroad term, ties that are spike killed, thus permitting old ties to contribute enough additional service to offset the initial cost of introducing the improved chair.

A further object is to so form the rail chair that the rail may expand or contract without danger of the rail being fractured.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the tie, a rail and the rail chair ap plied thereto; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the construction illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the chair and parts thereof and the clamp connected thereto being in section.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to these drawings, A designates a rail of standard form and B the tie, illustrated as the usual wooden tie. Disposed upon the face of the tie is a base plate 2 which has a width approximately equal to the width of the tie. This base plate is formed adjacent its opposite ends with longitudinally extending parallel corrugations Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 26, 1915.. Serial No. 838,370.

or abutments 3. These abutments extend parallel to each other but at an angle to the short axis of the chair and base plate, and, therefore, at an angle to the rail A. Each abutment is preferably formed by pressing out the metal of the base plate to provide a vertically disposed inner wall 5, a horizontally disposed wall 6, and a downwardly and outwardly inclined wall 4, the horizontal wall 6 being longitudinally slotted, as shown by dotted lines at 7.

Mounted on each abutment is a longitudinally adjustable rail engaging member or clamp 8. The body portion 9 of each clamp overhangs the base flange of the rail and is formed with a laterally projecting web 10 which rests upon the upper face of the adjacent wall 6. The body of each clamp has a wedge-shaped portion 11 which is disposed between the inner face of the adjacent abutment and the contiguous edge of the rail base. It will be obvious that, when the rail engaging members or clamps 8 are shifted longitudinally in one direction along the chair, they will have wedging engagement with the faces 5 of the abutments and the ad j acent edges of the base flange of the rail.

The rail engaging members 8 are held in adjusted position upon the abutments by means of bolts 12 having enlarged heads 13 disposed within the hollow abutments, the shanks of the bolts extending up through the slots 7 and through perforations in the webs 10. Nuts 14: engage the bolts 13 and hold the rail engaging members or clamps in position.

The operation of the invention will be obvious from what has gone before. The rail engaging members or clamps 8 are shiftable in opposite directions. By moving one of the clamps in one direction and the other in the opposite direction, the rail may be shifted laterally upon the base plate. If it is desired to adjust the rail vertically, the nuts 1% are loosened and a shim 15 placed beneath the rail, suitable side shims 16 being also preferably interposed between the crests of the corrugations or abutments and the lower faces of the rail engaging members, as shown, after which the nuts are again tightened.

The base-plate 2 is held upon the tie by means of primary fastening devices which are illustrated as the usual screw spikes, these screw spikes being designated 17.

It will be seen that the base plate is very greatly strengthened by the transversely extending corrugations 3, forming the hollow abutments. It will also be seen that these abutments are of such character as to permit of maximum resistance to lateral movement of the rail, and that as a consequence the rail will be held securely against accidental displacement.

The rail engaging members or clamps securely hold the rails in proper gage, and inasmuch as the clamps work in opposite directions, there will be no such binding action on the rail as will tend to cause a Iracture of the base flange thereof during contraction or expansion of the rail. Thus in expansion and contraction one clamp works against the other, that is, one clamp will work 0E or away from one side sufficiently to prevent any rail fracture. If the clamps were disposed both in the same direction the wedges would become so tightened that in cases of emergency the rail would be gripped to such an extent that fracture would be likely to result. 011 the other hand, if both of the clamps could work off in the same direction, the rail would become loose.

It will be seen that the adjustment of the rail may be made without in any manner disturbing the primary fastenings or screw spikes.

The chair, as described, is particularly adapted to be used on a rock ballasted, well drained road bed, and while the chair may be used with ties of any material, the best results will be obtained by using the chair with white oak ties or treated ties or hard wood.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In a rail chair, a base-plate having oppositely disposed hollow abutments projecting above the upper surface thereof and extending parallel to each other but at an angle to the rail supported on the base-plate, and rail engaging members adjustably mounted upon said abutments.

2. In a rail chair, a base plate having oppositely disposed abutments, said abutments extending parallel to each other but diagonally to the short axis of the chair, each of said abutments having an inner upwardly extending wall, a top wall and a clownwardly extending outer wall, the top wall of said abutments being slotted, rail engaging members, each comprising a body portion overhanging the base-plate and having a wedge face bearing against the inner wall of the corresponding abutment and each having a web resting upon the upper face of the abutment, and bolts passing through the slots of the abutments and through the webs of the rail engaging members.

3. In a rail chair, a base-plate having parallel transversely extending deformations projecting above the upper surface of the base plate and forming hollow abutments, rail engaging tightening wedges disposed upon and bearing against the inner faces of said abutments, and means for clamping said wedges in adjusted position.

4:. A rail chair including a base plate having oppositely disposed hollow abutments projecting above the upper surface of the base plate and spaced apart a distance greater than the width of a rail base to permit a rail to be adjusted both laterally and vertically with respect to the base plate, and rail engaging members resting on the crests of the abutments and having wedge-shaped portions for engagement with the inner walls of the abutments and the adjacent longitudinal edges of the rail for holding the rail in different positions of adjustment.

5. A rail chair including a base plate having oppositely disposed hollow abutments projecting above the upper surface of the base plate and disposed parallel to each other but at an angle to the short axis of the base plate, rail engaging members resting on the crests of said abutments and adjustable longitudinally thereof, and fastening devices extending through the rail engaging members and said abutments.

6. A rail chair including a base plate having oppositely disposed hollow abutments projecting above the upper surface of the base plate and disposed parallel to each other but at an angle to the short axis of the plate, rail engaging members resting on the crests of the abutments and adjustable longitudinally thereof, bolts passing through the abutments and the adjacent rail engaging members and provided with heads fitting within the abutments, and nuts engaging the threaded ends of the bolts for holding the rail engaging members in adjusted position.

7. A rail chair including a base plate having oppositely disposed hollow abutments disposed parallel to each other but at an angle to the short axis of the plate, said abutments having flat upper faces and being spaced apart a distance greater than the base of a rail to permit the rail to be adjusted both laterally and vertically with respect to the base plate, rail engaging mem bers resting on the flat upper faces of the abutments and adjustable longitudinally thereof, said rail engaging members being provided with wedgeshaped portions adapted to bear against the inner faces of the abutments, and inwardly projecting portions for engagement with the base flange of the rail, and fastening devices extending through the rail engaging members and abutments for holding said rail engaging members in adjusted position.

8. A rail chair including a base plate having oppositely disposed hollow abutments spaced apart a distance greater than the Width of a rail base to permit a rail to be adjusted both vertically and laterally with respect to the base plate, said abutments having flat upper faces provided with slots, rail engaging members adjustable longitudinally of the abutments in opposite directions and provided with flat portions resting on the flat faces of the abutments, and wedge-shaped portions for engagement with the inner faces of the abutments and the base flange of the rail, respectively, and fastening devices extending through the slots in the abutments and engaging the rail engaging members for holding the rail engaging members in adjusted position.

9. A rail chair including a base plate having oppositely disposed hollow abutments projecting above the upper surface of the plate and disposed parallel with respect to each other but at an angle to the short axis of the plate, said abutments being spaced apart a distance greater than the width of the base of a rail and having flat upper faces, means for permanently securing the base plate to a substructure, and rail engaging members resting on and adjustable longitudinally of the flat upper faces of the abutments for adjusting a rail both laterally and vertically with respect to the base plate without disturbing the base plate securing means.

10. The combination with a tie and a rail, of a chair permanently attached to the tie and including a base plate having spaced hollow abutments projecting above the upper surface of the base plate and defining an intermediate seat for the reception of the rail, said abutments being slotted and disposed parallel to each other but at an angle to the length of the rail and having flat upper faces rail engaging members restin on and adjustable longitudinally of the flat upper faces of the abutments and provided with depending wedgeshaped portions bearing against the inner faces of the abutments and the adjacent edges of the rail flange and having inwardly extending portions bearing upon the upper surface of the rail flange, and fastening devices extending through the slots in the abutments and the rail engaging members for holding said rail engaging members in adjusted position.

11. In a rail chair, a base plate, transversely extending abutments formed upon the base-plate, said abutments extending parallel to each other but at an angle to the short axis of the base plate, adjustable rail clamping members adapted to extend over the base flange of a rail and having wedging portions engageable between the base of the rail and said abutments and having portions extending over the abutments, and

fastening devices passing through said base plate and through said clamping members for holding the rail in difierent positions of lateral and vertical adjustment with respect to the base plate.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AUGUST e. LIEBMANN. [L.s.]

Witnesses:

FREDERIO B. l/VRIGHT, J. D. YOAKLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

